The Burger King

The Life and Legacy of an American Original

Co-founder and first CEO of Burger King, Jim McLamore, recounts the entrepreneurial journey of an international fast food chain and offers a message to today's budding entrepreneur.

A rags-to-$9-billion-riches story. A crash course in Burger King history and fast food in America, The Burger King is McLamore’s candid and conversational memoir. Written before his death in 1996, he talks of his life, the birth of the whopper, and the rise of Burger King. Inside, find out:

• How Burger King managed to create the worst advertising campaign of 1985
• What Burger King shares with Pitbull, Scarface, and Marco Rubio
• Why Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas called McLamore an “American original”

A message for today’s young entrepreneur. McLamore’s account of Burger King offers an instructive and inspiring tale to young entrepreneurs. Here’s a story of entrepreneurship development from one of the top entrepreneurs of fast food chains. Want to learn how to start a food business? Burger King’s journey from south Florida drive-ins to international corporation reveals the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, whether in the food service industry or elsewhere.

Now what? But the autobiography of McLamore doesn’t end when he exits the company. So, what comes after success? To McLamore, it comes down to what’s truly needed to live a full and good life—personal values, impacting the people around you, and juicy hamburgers.

If you want to have it your way, and enjoyed books like Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's, Dave's Way: The Story of Wendy’s, and Papa: The Story of Papa John's Pizza, then you’ll love The Burger King: A Whopper of a Story on Life and Leadership.